Pet owners have been urged to stay alert after several cats were found hanged and mutilated in Twickenham.

At least four cats are understood to have been found killed in and around Haggard Road over the last week, with reports suggesting they were lured with food before being attacked.

Police have confirmed they were called last Friday morning to the road, where they said officers found a domestic cat with a noose around its neck hanging from a tree. They added that no one had been arrested and the investigation was ongoing.

Roz Hayward-Butt, of Hounslow Animal Welfare Society (HAWS), today said she was sickened by the killings and warned cat lovers in and around Twickenham to be vigilant.

"Whoever's doing this is a real sicko. It's horrendous and not the kind of the kind of thing you expect in Twickenham, or anywhere else for that matter," she added.

"Everyone in that area should be warned to keep their cats in after dark and look out for anybody acting suspiciously.

"The lady who called us to say her cat had been killed was in pieces. She didn't know how she was going to tell her child. She said police had told here three other killings had been reported, and that was at the end of last week."